


Smile

by Peregrine



Category: NieR: Automata (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Character Study, Developing Relationship, F/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, light humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-08-06 03:25:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16380500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peregrine/pseuds/Peregrine
Summary: A chance meeting between two former Yorha troops blossoms into an odd friendship. Yet the more A2 gets to know her new companion, the closer she gets to an uncomfortable truth about her past and her own existance.[On Hiatus]





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I saw some fan art of these two and the idea of them meeting just wouldn't leave my head. Contains spoilers for the Yorha stage play/Pearl Harbor descent as well as ending E of Nier: Automata. You don't need to have read or seen the stage play to enjoy this but it does help.

The last thing A2 had been expecting that day was to encounter a scanner.

At first she couldn't believe what she was seeing. She, along with 9S and 2B, were the last remaining members of Yorha. The pods had confirmed that for her. Yet standing below her in a stream was an android in Yorha uniform. In a lot of ways, he looked similar to 9S. He had the same boyish features and stood at a similar height. Sure, his hair was jet black and a tad messier then 9S's. Yet he was recognizably of the same make and model

For a little bit A2 simply watched him, taking in the movements he made as he stood ankle-deep in the water. He repeatedly threw the line into the river, his mouth twitching as he turned the reel around and around again to bring it in. A visor covered his face so she couldn't see his eyes. But he seemed to be focused on his task. If he knew she was there, he gave no indication of this knowledge.

If he was a figment of her imagination, he was a very convincing one.

Maybe if she was careful, she could leave without attracting his attention. She pulled herself up, moving as quietly as she could. Yet all she managed was a few steps before a bird abruptly burst out of the tangle of leaves next to her, twittering loudly as it took flight. The sound was enough to disturb the scanner. He turned around in record time, catching full sight of A2 as she stood on the thick gnarled branch.

Letting out a gasp, he dropped the fishing line and stumbled, falling clumsily backward into the water. “Y-you!" he said as he sat in the stream, his lips parted slightly. “You're here to kill me, aren't you?”

The irony that someone thought she was here to kill them wasn't lost on A2. She scowled at him, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “If my intention was to kill you, do you think you'd still be here?”

“Maybe..” The scanner studied her from behind his blindfold. “If you aren't going to murder me, then what are you doing all the way up in that tree?”

A2 crossed her arms over her chest. “That's none of your damn business.”

The scanner stared, his mouth agape. For a moment, she considered turning and walking away. The years had made her weary of other Yorha units. But the android below her seemed to be no threat. He wasn't a unit made for combat and he had no visible weapons on him. Even with his hacking, she could easily overpower him if she wanted to. Did he know who she was? The idea of him hurting her seemed absurd.

“So uh...wow. I definitely wasn't expecting to run into...uh... someone today.” He sighed and pulled himself out of the water, his clothes sopping wet as he stood there. “Okay, so you're not here to murdur me. So why were you watching me?”

“What? I wasn't watching you!” A2 said, staring back, her lips curled back in a way that exposed her teeth.

The android seemed to hesitate as he stared at her.“You...you're Yorha, right? An older model?”

A2 didn't answer.

4S rubbed his hair. "I guess it's good to know i'm not the only surviving Yorha unit." He glanced between her and where he'd dropped his fishing rod in the stream. “I was lucky I guess. I fled as soon as I realized what was happening. Some part of me still can't believe the bunker is gone...” He looked up to her. “Are you the only other one you know of that survived?”

“No,” A2 responded, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Oh? Then there are others?” The scanner asked.

“Yeah.” She paused. “A battler and a scanner.” A2 decided that she had no real reason to conceal that information.

“Oh, another scanner?” he responded. “That's good to hear. Do you know where he is? Perhaps we can arrange an exchange of information.”

“That's not possible,” A2 said, glancing away from the scanner.

“Oh. I see.” He fell silent. She was glad he didn't ask her to elaborate. 9S and 2B had disappeared shortly after their resurrection, only stopping long enough to say goodbye to A2. They had decided that they were better off somewhere else until the whole Yorha thing blew over. A2 couldn't blame them. They had been through so much. It made sense that they wanted to get away from it all. Hopefully they had gone somewhere where they could start anew.

“So...uh...” The android said. “It's nice to meet you. I think?” He gave her another look then walked over to his rod, pulling it from the stream.

Once again, A2 didn't answer.

The android below seemed intrigued by her. Even as he worked on reeling in his line he kept throwing glanced back at her. Nobody had ever quite looked at her the way he was looking at her and something about it made the hair on her arms prickle against her skin.

“Hey, Miss,” he said after several minutes passed in silence.

“Hmm?”

“My designation is 4S.” To her surprise, the scanner smiled. She felt her blackbox lurch. There was something familiar about that smile...

“4S...?” A2 said. As she stared at him, she abruptly realized why.

Memories of the pearl harbor descent came rushing back to her. One by one, her comrades had fallen around her. She could almost hear their dying cries - almost see the pained looks on their faces. The world around her was enveloped in fire, explosions ripping through the air with enough force to tear an android to pieces.

One memory hit her particuarly hard in the gut. She remembered kneeling by No. 4's side, the red girls taunting her as she held her dying friend. No. 4 looked so different. The cheerful android she knew was gone, replaced by a mere ghost of her former friend. Yet as she had got up and charged at those girls, she'd been wearing a smile. Was it delirium? A2 wasn't sure. But she knew it would haunt her until the end of her days.

A sudden cry brought A2 back to reality. A gasp escaping from between her lips, she looked for the source of the noise and found 4S gritting his teeth and holding his hand. "What? What's wrong?" she demanded.

"Nnng...it's nothing..." the scanner said.

"Nothing my ass." She jumped down the tree and approached him.  _What the hell am I doing?'_ she thought. Yet her legs continued to carry her towards the scanner.

He gritted his teeth, his gaze falling to the stream below him. The water felt cold around her boots when she stepped in. As she came up to him, she saw that he was cradling his hand. The hook on the end of his line had pierced directly through one side of his thumb and out the other.

“I'm okay. Really...” 4S tried to assure her past the pained look in his gaze.

“Like hell you are.” He flinched away a little as she knelt beside him, gazing at the spot where the hook had gone right through his finger. It dug tightly into his skin, both sides oozing with a viscous liquid that resembled blood. She reached forward and grabbed his hand and he whimpered. “It's definitely in there,” she said. As she held his hand, she realized her own hand was trembling.

' _For fuck sake, A2, keep it together._ '

“What are you doing?” 4S said, glancing between their hands and her face.

“Just...be quite.” She reached over and grabbed at the hook. He grimaced but didn't fight back. It occurred to her just how easily she could end his life. He was so small and vulnerable and he'd let her get close to him without even questioning it. It really was a miracle that he was alive at all.

Putting a little strength into her pull, it took almost nothing to rip it out of him. The scanner let out a pained cry and grabbed his bleeding finger, looking at her in shock.

“It's out,” A2 said. Unable to meet his gaze, she turned away.

“Wow, uh...thank you,” the scanner said after a moment of silence.

“Yeah...whatever...” All at once, A2 decided that this was too much for her. She turned around, intending to get as far away from here as possible. But before she could taking more then a few steps, he spoke.

“Wait!”

A2 turned back to him. He was cradling his hand, biting his bottom lip as he stared.

“What?” she asked, waiting for him to speak.

“I...I never got your designation,” he said, his gaze falling to the ground.

So he didn't seem to know who she was. That was a relief. Still, she hesitated to answer. She sighed and turned to look at him. Would he recognize her if she said her name? Would he try to attack? She supposed it didn't really matter. She would cut him down before he could lay a finger on her.

“My name is A2.”

“A2,” the scanner repeated. He fell silent and for a moment A2 thought he was finished speaking. Yet as she turned to walk away, his voice came from behind her. “A2...if you want to find me, I live within the castle walls. Near the library. Ask the Weapon Smith Masamune. He knows where I am.”

A2 was taken aback by the invitation. She grunted in acknowledgment.

"So...um...i'll see you again maybe?"

"Maybe," A2 said and with that she took her leave.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm in the process of writing a second chapter so expect more?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why but there's something about these two I find really compelling. I've got a whole fic planned out now. It's been a long time since I've written anything long and multi-chapter and I'm actually pretty nervous. Can't say i'm 100% satisfied with this chapter. But I doubt I'll ever be. 
> 
> By the way, I watched the Yorha Boys stage play and it hit me right in the feels.

A2 couldn't get that damn scanner out of her head.

No matter what she did or where she went, she found her mind wandering back to him. She traversed aimlessly through the woods, performing basic maintenance, napping in different trees, and keeping her eyes peeled for enemies. Constantly being on alert was an old habit she couldn't – no – didn't want to break. Even with Yorha gone, she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was bound to come after her.

Yet no matter where she went, 4S would pop back into her head. There was no doubt in her mind that No. 4 and 4S were alike. He had No 4's smile. What else of No 4's did he have? It was a question that would creep, unwanted, into the back of her head. Whenever she saw his smile in her mind, she saw No. 4's as well. It was starting to drive her crazy.

Part of her began to wonder if the meeting had even happened. Maybe loneliness was eroding her mind, making her see and feel things that didn't exist. She couldn't say she knew much about how her mind worked. But she'd heard stories of humans driven to madness by their own isolation. The thought bothered her greatly. She'd never particularly needed company so why would she start to lose it now?

Finally, A2 decided that she had to confirm for herself whether or not the android was real. That was why, several hours later, she found herself walking through the entrance of Masamunes shop. The back of her neck prickled as she saw a machine standing behind the counter. Though her interactions with Pascal had been enough to convince her that not all machines were bad, habit still made her distrustful.

“I see you have a weapon,” the machine behind the counter said as she approached.

A2 grunted in acknowledgment.

“I can sharpen it if that's what you desire.

“Actually,” A2 said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I'm here looking for an android. Unit 4S.”

“4S? You mean that kid?” The Weapon Smith waved to the door. “He'll be out the door to your right. Just follow the courtyard to the end and you'll find him.

A2 turned to leave but paused as she reached the door. “Thanks,” she said softly. If the machine knew who 4S was, then she wasn't crazy...probably. 

As she reached the ground floor of the castle, her eyes fell upon a wooden structure near the corner of the yard.

She approached it with caution. It was in a patch of grass where the stone had worn away. Made of crudely cut slices of wood, there were gaps here and there with an overhanging sloped roof made of planks. A blanket hung over the door and a single window was cut into the front side. There were no signs that anyone was there as she walked up to the door. The inside was dark.

“Uh...hello?” she said. For a moment, she thought that she must have come when 4S was gone. Then she heard the sound of shuffling from within the house and the flap swung open.

“Miss A2,” the android said, stopping in his tracks as he came face to face with her. “You came to visit.” He looked genuinly surprised.

“Yeah.” A2 shuffled her feet. ' _What am I even doing here?_ '

He rolled on the balls of his feet.“I was...uh... just in the back tending to things. Would you like to come in?” He opened the blanket for her, inviting her into his house. A2 stepped through the door.

The place was small on the inside with tatami style matting. There was a counter in the back with a sink and a two burner stove. In the middle of the room was a low laying table scattered with various objects, objects she soon came to realize were a variety of machine parts. A raised closet-like space had been built into the very right side of the room and in it was a small mattress with a pillow and a blanket draped over it. At the very back right corner was another door.

“Let me put on some water for tea,” 4S said. A2 watched as he grabbed a pot from the table and put it on the stove.

“Did...you build this?” A2 asked, staring at the space.

“I got some help from the resistance.”

A2 snorted. “I thought you were out here gathering information for the resistance.”

4S looked sheepishly at her. “Well...it started out that way. The thing is, machine activity in the area has become almost non-existent. It's like all the machines have vanished. Beside a few strays sighting here and there, all I've encountered lately is Masamune that weirdo, Pascal.

The mention of Pascal stoked something within her. “You've met Pascal?” She said, fighting back an unpleasant feeling that was rising in her gut.

“Yeah.” The corner of his mouth twitched. “Do you know him?”

“Sort of,” A2 said. She hadn't visited Pascal since the day she'd erased his memory. She hadn't wanted to. Their last meeting was still too bitter and too recent for her.

“Apparently he makes materials for the resistance,” 4S continued. “Who'd have thought that the resistance was collaborating with machines.” He laughed and rubbed the back of his head. “But I guess he is useful.”

“Yeah...” A2 said, trying to keep her expression as passive as possible.

“Are you okay?” 4S said, his lips twisting into the smallest hint of a frown.

“Yeah, I'm fine,” A2 answered almost a little too quickly.

4S studied her, his forehead crinkling a little. A2 returned the stare, her body feeling stiff.

“Oh!” 4S said quite abruptly and A2 nearly jumped. He perked up and smiled. “I just realized! I haven't show you my garden yet.”

A2 was glad for the distraction. 4S got up and went to the back door, leaving her to follow. As she stepped out the back door after him, she found herself standing in a small outdoor space. A wooden fence had been built around three sides of the yard using the same crudely cut wood that made up the house. The towering battlements of the castle served as the fourth wall. A small path wound its way to the back, scrubs lining both sides. To the left side of the path was an area covered with stones, the smaller stones arranged around larger ones in a way that imitated ripples on the surface of a pond. On the other side of a stone path was an actual pond. Several brightly colored fish swam below the surface, their patterning resembling splotched ink on a white canvas.

“Long ago, humans in this region created what they called rock gardens,” 4S said, explaining what she was looking at. “And this over here is a koi pond.” He pointed at the basin filled with water. “With nothing else to do, I thought I'd try some human things.” He seemed very pleased with himself. “So...uh...what do you think, Miss A2?”

“About what?” A2 asked, taken aback by the question.

“About my garden?” 4S twiddled his thumbs as he waited on her.

A2 stared. He was asking her for her opinion? Why? She glanced around the yard, unsure what to say. Finally, her gaze landed on the pond. “Your fish are...uh...nice.”

“Ah, thanks!” He seemed to glow under her praise. “I've been catching them from the river. I used to have more but the herons keep coming and eating them.

“Herons?” A2 asked. The word heron didn't mean anything to her.

“Oh. It's like this bird with a long neck,” 4S said. “They eat fish.”

Her mind conjured up the image of a small blue and orange bird she'd once seen on the shore of the river. Only now it had a long, spindly neck. She couldn't help but scowl as she thought of the creature. It didn't quite seem quite right in her head.

“The humans also has this thing called bonsai where they grew miniature trees.” He held the palms of his hands about a foot apart as if to demonstrate the size of the trees. “But I haven't been able to find any miniature trees.”

A2 grunted. She really didn't understand any of this. But the scanner kept on talking so she listened to him until the sound of whistling suddenly came from within the house.

“Oh! That's the water!” 4S said. He jumped up and ran back into the house and A2 was left to follow him.

 

* * *

 

With the tea done, A2 found herself sitting on a cushion at the table with 4S. He had cleared the table of junk and each of them had a steaming mug of tea in front of them. A2 really wasn't sure what to say now and it seemed like 4S had run out of things to talk to too. He looked curiously at her before lifting his own cup up to his mouth and giving it a sip.

The silence was awkward, almost stifling. Finally, A2 took the initiative to break it. “So...um...you're real,” she said.

“Real?” 4S said and A2 felt the urge to slap herself.

“I mean i'm not imagining you,” A2 tried to explain, though she quickly realized that she was only making herself look stupid.

“Are you okay?” 4S asked, reaching over and placing his hand on her forehead. “You're not infected by a logic virus, are you?”

“N-no!” A2 sputtered, taken aback by the sudden warmth on her face. She pulled away from him. “If I was infected with a logic virus, why would you touch me?”

“I'm a scanner,” 4S explained. “I can scan for viruses.”

“I'm not infected,” A2 insisted quite bluntly.

“Are you sure?” 4S asked. He looked genuinely concerned for her. It was unnerving.

A2 scowled. “I'm fine,” she insisted.

“Would you at least let me scan you? It would put my mind at ease.”

A2 didn't like the idea. But the way the scanner was looking at her was putting her on edge. Even under the blindfold his eyes seemed to penetrate her. “Fine,” A2 finally said, crossing her arms over her chest. “But make it quick.”

4S closed his eyes. “Initiating scan,” he announced. Her body suddenly felt warm all over. It wasn't a feeling she was used to and she quickly decided she didn't like it. She closed her eyes and gripped at her shirt. Yet before she could feel any real discomfort, the feeling subsided.

“Scan complete,” 4S announced and he gave her that same damned smile.

“Let's never do that again,” A2 said.

“Ah...sorry,” 4S said. “I didn't mean to make things uncomfortable for you.”

A2 huffed. “Just...drink your tea.”

“You haven't even touched yours,” 4S noted.

“We're androids. There's no point in drinking tea.”

“I find it relaxing.” He brought it to his lips and took another sip. “It has a nice aroma.”

“Aroma?” A2 asked.

“Smell.” He grinned. “You really should try it.”

A2 stared down at the steaming orangish colored water in her cup. It definitely had a smell but she wasn't entirely sure if it was a good or a bad smell. Lifting it up to her lips, she took a careful sip. “I can't taste anything,” she said and put down the cup.

“Hmm. I wonder if there's something wrong with your olfactory senses.”

“My what?”

“Your sense of taste and smell.” He put his hands on the table and leaned across it, studying her. “When was the last time you received maintenance?”

A2 pursed her lips, refusing to answer that question.

“I'm a unit optimized for performing maintenance,” he said, leaning in closer. “If you would like, I can-”

“No.”

4S frowned but didn't push it any further. He ran a finger around the rim of his cup, looking around the room and then back to her. She noticed that his thumb was bandaged where the hook had gone through his finger.

“Uh, how's the thumb?” she asked.

“Oh, the thumb?” he said and his gaze fell to the table, his face going red for some reason she couldn't understand. “It's okay thanks to you. I haven't gotten around to repairing it yet. It's missing a few sensors but I should be able to do it soon. I just need to find the right part." He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. “It's hard to find parts when they're really small.”

“I can help,” A2 offered without thinking.

“What? Really? You would help me?” 4S asked, looking slightly flustered.

A2 felt strangely flustered as well. “Yeah...I guess...” she said.

“I think Pascal could probably make it,” 4S said. “I mean if we can't find it anywhere.

“Yeah...” A2 said, already deeply regretting her offer.

A silence fell over the two of them. 4S looked down to his cup and then up to her, studying her from across the table. He seemed intensely curious about her. A2 supposed she couldn't blame him. He'd still given no indication that he knew who she was. Did he have any idea that Yorha had wanted her dead?

“Miss A2,” he finally said, putting the cup down.

“Hmm?”

“I know this is probably a strange question to ask. But...would you say that your loyalties still lie with Yorha?”

The question caught her off guard. She studied him, wondering just what he was thinking behind that blindfold. How would he react if she answered with no? Would he turn on her? A2 was still pretty confident that he was no match for her. But that didn't stop her caution.

A minute passed in silence but 4S continued to stare, waiting for an answer. A2 fidgeted in her seat. Finally, something within her snapped.

“No,” she said bluntly.

Unexpectedly, 4S laughed. “I guess it doesn't really matter. The only loyalty that has any meaning is loyalty to the resistance.”

A2 didn't know what to say to that. The only loyalties she'd ever had were for her friends and those loyalties had died along with them.

 

* * *

 

 

After both cups sat empty on the table, A2 decided it was time to leave.

“Thanks for visiting,” the small android said, standing by the door as he waved to her.

“Yeah...” A2 said, putting her hand on the sword at her hip as she prepared to leave.

“Hey...Miss A2”

“Hmm?”

“Do you think you'll come back for another visit?” 4S gazed at her, his hands idly playing with the bottom button of his uniform.

“I...I said I was going to help you,” A2 said. She was unable to bring herself to look at his face. She wasn't sure why. Perhaps she was afraid doing so would bring back more unwanted memories.

“Of course,” 4S said. She braved one last look at him and he was grinning. “I'll see you later then?”

“Yeah,” A2 said. As she left, all she could think about was why she had agreed to help.

It didn't make sense to her.

Yet as she descended back into the forest, a she found herself thinking of him. His smiles...the way he looked at her...

Then another face flashed through her mind: the face of another scanner. She had agreed to look after him...agreed to save him on 2B's death bed. But all she'd managed to deliver was pain and suffering.

She decided all at once that she didn't want to think about this anymore.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any feedback on this is greatly loved and appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter turned out longer then I had planned but I guess that isn't a bad thing. The fic rating has been changed because of stuff that happens in later chapters. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy.
> 
> By the way, would anybody be interested in beta reading this fic? I do carefully check over each and every chapter but there are only so many things I can catch and a second set of eyes to look over the fic and give feedback would be greatly appriciated.

As A2 gazed at the remains of the machine village, she couldn't help but wonder what she was doing. The once thriving community she had originally stumbled upon was gone. Though the tree that once housed the village was still there, the rest of the village was a charred ruin. Bridges that had connected the various houses were gone, sitting in burnt heaps at the bottom of the tree. A few buildings still stood though all that remained were their skeletal foundations, burnt black from the flames that consumed them.

According to the Resistance, this was where Pascal could be found. But at she approached the bottom of the large tree, A2 had her doubts. Vegetation was starting to take hold of the ruin. It didn't look like anybody had been here in a very long time.

A2 tapped her foot. This was going to be more troublesome then she'd expected. She began her experimental search of the ruins, circling around trees, peeking into crevices, and checking up in the trees for any signs of machine life. Just as she was beginning to think that her search was in vain, a soft creaking sound came from behind her. Turning around, she found herself looking down at a stubby.

“Hello?” the stubby said, approaching her cautiously.

“Do you know where I can find Pascal?” A2 asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Pascal?" The machine blinked, looking as if it was considering these words. Then its eyes seemed to light up. "I'll take you to Pascal!"

“Uh...okay...” A2 said. Cautious, she followed the machine across the soft earth and onto a nearby path. It twisted and snaked down the side of a hill for a few hundred feet. As she approached the bottom, she heard a familiar voice, one she recognized immediately as Pascals.

“I see you are a seed! Tell me what you need~”

Was Pascal singing?

They passed through some dense vegetation and finally came into a clearing. Pascal was sitting hunched over a patch of earth, a small shovel in hand as he scooped dirt out of a hole in the ground. Seedlings sat in neat rows in the dirt and next to him were a number of pots, both empty and filled with more seedlings.

“I brought an android to see you,” the stubby said, sounding proud of itself.

Pascal turned to her. “Oh! Hello!" He gave her a curious look. 

“Hey,” A2 said, studying the machine. He obviously didn't recognize her. And why would he? She had erased his memory. “I heard that you make android parts,” A2 said pushing down the memories she had of Pascal. It would be no good to think about that now.

“Oh, yes!” Pascal put his shovel blade down into the dirt. “I do make spare android parts for the resistance. Is there something I can help you with?”

As A2 looked down at Pascal, she realized she wasn't sure exactly what part she was looking for. “I uh...” she started, stumbling over her words a little. “I need some sensors for an android finger.” She hoped Pascal would have some clue as to what that meant.

“I think I can do that,” Pascal said. “But I'm going to need a few components.”

A2 knew how this went. She was going to have to trek somewhere out of the way and kill some machines to obtain the parts he wanted. For the umpteenth time that day, she wondered why the hell she was doing this.

“Here's the list of parts I need,” Pascal said and he transferred the data digitally to her. A2 went down the list. There were a few screws, some gears, a tiny chip. It seemed like the usual fare until she hit the bottom of the list.

“What's a mackerel?” she asked, scrunching up her face.

“It's a type of fish,” Pascal answered.

“Why do you want a fish???” A2 asked, crinkling her brow at the machine.

“It contains an oil that I use in the refining process,” Pascal explained, grabbing the shovel out of the dirt and returning to his hole.

“Okay...” A2 said, staring at him. This was going to be different from what she thought she was doing.

As she walked away from Pascal, she couldn't help but wonder how exactly she was getting a mackerel. She had never gone fishing in her life. Unlike the newer models, she had never come equipped with a pod.

The only person that she knew that had a fishing rod was 4S. A2 groaned. Pride told her not to ask for help, especially when she was the one trying to help him. But she didn't know the first thing about fishing.

Swallowing her pride, she began the trek back towards the castle.

 

* * *

 

As she finally reached 4S's residence, A2 found him sprawled out on the grass in front, stomach-first on the ground as he studied a book. He looked up at the sound of her footsteps. When he saw who was approaching him, a smile spread across his face.

“A2!” he called out, waving to her.

“Uh...what are you doing?” A2 asked, walking right up to him.

“Oh, just doing a bit of reading,” he said. As he closed the book, she caught a glimpse of the cover.

“Lobster by...Guilla who?” she asked, scrutinizing the book.

“It's Guillaume Lecasble,” he said, sitting up so he could get a better look at her.

“Whose that?” A2 asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Oh...uh...it doesn't really matter.” He hugged the book to his chest, and cleared his throat, his face looking flushed. “So uh, A2. What brings you here today?” He tilted his head, gazing at her.

A2 pursed her lips and sat down next to him. She had never been good at asking for things. For most of her life, she'd taken things without asking. But she didn't think 4S would like if she did that. “I visited Pascal,” she said, fidgeting in place.

“Oh?? And what did he say???”

“I need to borrow your fishing rod...”

“What?” 4S scooted a little closer, drawing his lips together as he studied her. “What do you mean you need to borrow my rod. What happened?”

A2 felt the thrum of her blackbox increasing in pace. “I need it for fishing,” she said, perspiration forming on her brow.

4S scooted even closer to her, studying her face. “Why?”

A2 moved away, putting a little distance between them. Something about how close he was getting made her feel weird. “Do you really need to know?”

“I guess it doesn't really matter why. I'll loan you my rod,” he said. “But whatever you're doing, I want to come with you.”

A2 wasn't expecting him to say that. She seized up for a moment, considering her options. Then she closed her eyes and nodded. “I...I don't really know how to use a fishing rod,” she admitted.

“Then I'll show you.” A2 felt something on her shoulder and as she opened her eyes, she saw that it was one of his hands. He beamed at her. “I was the best at fishing among the scanners.”

“Thanks...”

4S rubbed the back of his head. “Let me go grab my fishing gear,” he said and he ran back into the house. A few minutes later, he came back out carrying a bundle of things in his arms. “Ah...shoot...” he said, staggering a little as a net fell off the top of the pile. He dropped the rest of it in front of her. “So...are you ready?”

“I don't think we need this much stuff,” A2 said, looking at everything he'd put in front of her.

“Ah...okay...” 4S said. He rubbed his chin and examined the pile before picking out 4 items: a box with a handle, a bucket, his fishing rod, and what looked like a spear.

“What do you need that for?” A2 asked, squinting at the spear.

“It's a harpoon!” 4S announced, a hint of pride in his voice.

“Yeah, and what do we need it for? A2 repeated.

“Oh uh...I guess it's good to bring in case we have to spear anything,” 4S answered. He put down the gear again and went back to the door where he'd dropped the net. It was a decent sized landing net with a nice long handle. “This should be everything we need.”

A2 walked over to the pile of things, picking up the box and the fishing rod. “What's this for?” she asked, looking at the box.

“That has extra lines and tackle in it,” 4S explained, putting down the net. “Let me put the rest of this stuff away and then we can go.”

As soon as 4S finished cleaning up, the two of them left together, A2 carrying the tackle box and fishing rod and 4S carrying the net, bucket, and spear. The two of them walked in silence for a bit. Then it occurred to A2 that she had no idea where they were going.

“4S...” she said, halting in her tracks.

“Hmm?” 4S stopped a few steps ahead of her and looked back.

“I have no idea where to find a mackerel,” she told him.

“A mackerel???” 4S said and suddenly he laughed.

“W-what's so funny?” A2 said, genuinely confused..

“You didn't say you were looking for a mackerel, A2. It's a good thing you mentioned it. I was going to take us to a stream.”

“What's wrong with a stream?”

“Mackerel is an ocean fish. We need to visit the ocean to catch one.”

A2 crinkled her brow. The only way to get to the ocean that she knew of was through the city and she was weary of traveling through the city.

“I know a really good place to catch mackerel,” he said, giving her a grin. “Just follow me!”

 

* * *

 

As it turned out, the place 4S had in mind didn't involve going through the city. It was a longer walk then it would have been if they had gone fishing in the city ruins. But as they got to the bottom of a hill and emerged onto the beach, a breeze hit her face along with a faint scent of salt. She could immediately see why this was better.

For hundreds of feet a flat expanse of mud stretched in front of her. To the left side of the beach she saw the sinking city in the distance. To her right, the beach sloped outward, ending in a headland. At the end of the headland was a long, narrow strip. It stretched out towards the water until it ended at a tiny point in the distance.

“Let's go out there,” 4S said, pointing to the strip. “It's low tide so we'll have to get out as far as we can to catch anything.”

The two of them began the trek out towards the strip. As they got closer, A2 saw that it was made of rocks - hundreds of large rocks piled on top of one another.

“It's really nice out here,” 4S said. “I don't come out here often because it's a long walk. But I really like it here.”

A2 looked to him. His mouth was open in the widest smile she'd ever seen on him.

“Yeah...it's nice...” she said, turning her gaze back to the beach in front of her. The breeze felt good against her bare skin. It took her a moment to realize 4S wasn't by her side anymore. As she turned back, she saw him taking off his shoes.

“What are you doing?” A2 asked, eyeing him.

“I want to feel the sand between my toes,” he explained, pulling his boots off the rest of the way and tossing them into the bucket.

A2 looked down at her own feet. The skin that had once been there was long gone. She couldn't feel the sand between her toes even if she wanted to. “Why?” she asked.

“It feels good,” 4S said. He wiggled his toes in the sand.

“Ugh... but why?” A2 said. She didn't understand it. Why would he want to get his feet dirty like that?

4S laughed. “Don't worry about it. I'm coming,” 4S grabbed the net and quickly caught up to her. The rest of the walk was relatively uneventful. When they reached the strip, 4S stopped to put his boots back on. The walk over the rocks was definitely rougher then the smooth sand of the beach. But as they finally reached the end, they were met with a vast expanse of ocean.

4S went right up the the edge and shielded his eyes against the sun, looking over everything before them.

“Hey...don't fall in...” A2 said. The last thing she wanted to do was jump in and rescue him.

“Oh, sorry. I don't mean to worry you.” He put his stuff down and walked over to her. “Can I see the rod?”

A2 handed it to him and 4S unhooked the line. Taking the tackle box from her, he sat down and reached into it, pulling out a small pouch. He reached into this too and pulled out a white cube.

“It's some bait I made,” 4S explained before A2 could ask what he was doing. “The fish love it.” He put the bait on the end of the hook and handed the rod back to her. “Do you know how to cast out?”

A2 shook her head.

“Here, i'll show you.” He held his hand out for the rod and A2 passed it to him. “So you see this part of the rod here? You want to hold this button down here.” He pressed down on it and faced the ocean. “Then you pull the rod back like this.” He held the rod high over his head, looking to A2. She nodded, indicating that she was paying attention, and he turned back to the ocean.

“Then you swing the rod forward and release.” He demonstrated for her, whipping the rod forward. The line went flying out, the hook plopping into the ocean a good 100 feet out. “You have to release the button at the right time or it won't work.” He reeled the line back in and handed it to her. “Now you try.”

A2 took the rod from him. The first time she cast out, she released too soon and the line snagged on the rocks behind her. The second time she cast out, however, she released at the right time and the line went soaring outward.

“Woah!” 4S said, watching as it plopped into the water about twice as far out as 4S's cast. “I've never seen it out that far before.”

“What now?” A2 asked, staring out at the line.

“Well...you wait for something to bite,” 4S said.

“We wait?” A2 said, looking incredulously at him.

“Well...yeah. Generally when something bites, you'll see or feel a tug on the line.”

A2 didn't like this. But she took a seat on the rock and began the wait.

About 10 minutes passed in silence. 4S took a seat beside her, staring out into the ocean. It was sunny out and there wasn't a cloud in the sky to be seen. The ocean was sparkling with the sun's reflection.

“How long do we have to wait?” A2 said, finally breaking the silence.

“As long as it takes for the fish to bite,” 4S said. He held his hand out to her. “Here, give me the rod.”

A2 handed it to him and he got up, wedging the handle between two nearby rocks. “There,” he said, returning to his seat next to her. “Hand free fishing.”

A2 put her elbow on her knee and rested her chin in the palm of her hand. The waves lapped up against the nearby rocks, splashing water up into the air every now the then. “Is this what fishing is always like?” she asked, turning to 4S.

“No, not always. Sometimes there's lots of biting.” He frowned. “It's low tide right now so most of the fish are probably farther out to sea.”

A2 took this to mean that they were going to be waiting a while. She sighed. It wasn't like she wasn't used to waiting. But she somehow thought there would be more to fishing then this.

“Hey...” 4S said, looking to her from behind his visor. “Is it okay if I ask you a kind of personal question?”

“Uh...” A2 said, staring at him. “I'm not going to know if it's okay unless I know what the question is.”

“Fair enough,” 4S said. “I'm curious and well...I guess I'll just ask. How did you survive the fall of the bunker?”

A2 had not been expecting that question. She turned away from him. She knew she couldn't tell him the truth.

“Ah sorry, I shouldn't have asked,” 4S said when he was met with silence. “You don't have to tell me if you don't want to.”

“Thanks,” A2 said, glad that he wasn't going to pry too deep.”

4S let his gaze wander back to the ocean. “Before the bunker fell, I was stationed out in the forest, gathering intel for the resistance. When I got the call to come back to the bunker, I didn't go right away. I knew something big was going down. But I was in the middle of another important mission. By the time I arrived, a full scale strike was already underway.”

A2 looked to him. She didn't quite know the full extent of the story regarding how the bunker fell so his story made her curious.

“Almost immediately I realized that something was wrong.” 4S continued. “Soldiers seemed to be fighting among themselves and when I approached one of the units in charge, she attacked me.” He swallowed, turning to look at A2. “It didn't take long to figure out what had happened. The entirety of Yorha had been corrupted by a logic virus. I made it my mission to put as much distance between myself and all other members of Yorha as possible. I fled back to the forest and went into hiding in the castle. I knew there was a good chance I was already infected. Even if there were other surviving units, I didn't want to spread the virus.”

4S took a deep breath and smiled. “I waited things out a few weeks in the castle with my pod. I was alone there the entire time. I spent most of that time reading books in the library and gathering what intel I could for the resistance. I began to wonder if I was the only one that had survived. Had everyone been infected? Finally, I encountered a member of the resistance and that was when I learned the full extent of what had happened.” He suddenly laughed, a strangled, almost forlorn laugh. “I couldn't believe it. I heard that another scanner had survived, one named 9S. But the rest of Yorha was gone.”

His gaze fell to his lap. A2 wanted to say something but she wasn't sure what she could say that would make things any better. She had never been good with words.

“Then,” he continued after a moment, “Things took a turn for the worst. I found out that I had been corrupted by the logic virus. I knew I had a very limited time left before I lost myself...” He shook his head. “I didn't want to become like one of them. So I did the only logical thing I could think to do. I turned to my pod and asked it to execute me.”

He paused and took a deep breath, as if he was struggling with what to say next. “My pod did something surprising then. It refused. Instead, it attempted to administer a vaccine. I was shocked to say the least. Pods were made to obey every command. That my pod would try to go against me...I didn't understand it. But, whatever the pod did, it worked. I went into shutdown and when I woke up a few hours later, I was myself again. But my pod...it was in pieces. Somehow my pod had been destroyed. I tried to fix it but it was no use. Even if I could fix the body, the motherboard, CPU, and hard drive were all completely fried. There was no way I was going to get my pod back the way it was.”

4S fell silent, his gaze somber as he stared at the ocean.

“I had no idea...” A2 said, gazing at her companion.

“Why would you?” 4S smiled but something about it seemed forced.

“Did you see 9S?” A2 asked, suddenly curious.

“I did not. I just heard that he was wandering around,” 4S said. “Apparently he was mourning the loss of a close comrade. I felt bad for the guy.” He looked to her. “Do you know what happened to 9S?”

“Yeah,” A2 said. “He...he managed to save his comrade and the two of them left.” A2 decided she didn't want to get into too much detail. The less 4S knew, the better.

“Really? So he survived?” 4S asked.

“He did.”

“So those were the two androids you were talking about when we met.” He smiled. “I didn't know 9S well but I knew he was close to a B unit. I'm glad to hear they were reunited.”

“Yeah...” A2 said and as she stared at the ocean, she couldn't help but wonder where 9S and 2B were now.

 

* * *

 

 

A2 awoke with a start to the sound of something whirring. She hadn't even realized she had fallen asleep. Sitting up, she looked around her and nearly yelped when she found herself just a few feet away from a large bird.

“What's that?” A2 said, pointing and staring at the bird. It opened its beach and croaked. It was completely white with small beady eyes and a strange pouch on its throat.

4S sat up and yawned, stretching his arms. He must have fallen asleep as well. As he saw what she was pointing at, he froze mid stretch and stared.

“That's a big pelican,” he said.

A2's gaze went from the pelican to the fishing rod and, with an abrupt start, she realized what the whirring sound was.

“There's something on the line,” A2 said. She ran over to where it had been propped between two rocks and picked up up. “What do I do?” she asked, feeling lost as she stared at 4S.

“Ah, quick! Reel it in!” The pelican forgotten, he leaped up and ran over to help her.

“How?!”

“That handle there! Start cranking it!”

A2 grabbed the handle and began to turn it. The line went taught for a moment. Then, with a slow whir, it began to come in.

“Whatever is on this line, it's heavy,” A2 said, pulling the rod back.

“Careful,” 4S said and he came up from behind, putting his hand over hers. “Don't put too much pressure on the rod or it will snap.” Taking her hand in his, he lowered the rod and began to reel in slowly. “Like this,” he said, poking his head out from behind her so he could see.

Together, the two of them gradually brought in the line. It was a bit of a struggle. But with A2's strength and 4S's know how, they managed to do it together. As the water finally broke and the fish came leaping out, the two of them gaped at it.

“It's...” 4S said.

“Small,” A2 said, squinting at the measly fish on the end of the hook.

“It's a Killifish,” 4S said.

The fish flopped about on the end of the line.

With a sigh, 4S reached out and grabbed the line, pulling the fish off. Suddenly there was a croak from behind them and the pelican flew between them, attacking 4S's hand.

“Gah!” 4S shouted, falling to the ground with the rod in hand. Panicking, A2 grabbed the nearest object, the harpoon, and chucked it at the pelican. The harpoon sailed past the pelican and into the ocean and the bird grabbed the fish from 4S and flew off with it.

“God damn fucking bird!” A2 cursed, running over to 4S. “Are you okay?”

4S rubbed his head. “Yeah...I think so...” he said, yet as he held up his hand, he winced. The fishing hook had pierced right through his glove and into his undamaged thumb.

A2 cringed but took his hand in hers. For a moment, she simply cradled it, examining his thumb. Then she grabbed the hook and pulled it out. There was a sharp cry from 4S and she let go, allowing him to nurse his bleeding thumb.

After wrapping the palm of his hand around his thumb in an attempt to stem the bleeding, he turned to A2. “I think I'm ready to call it quits for the day,”

“Yeah...me too.”

 

* * *

 

The walk back was a slow one. The two had managed to bandage up 4S's thumb. But the fall had taken its toll and there was a great big bruise on his cheek.

“What do you need a mackerel for anyways?” 4S asked, gazing up at his companion.

A2 swallowed, licking her lips nervously before turning to him. “Pascal wanted one to help repair your thumb.”

"Ah, I see." 4S chuckled.

“What's so funny?” A2 demanded, unable to understand what could possibly be amusing about the situation.

“It's nothing...” 4S said. He held up both his thumbs, looking from the newly bandaged one to the older injury. “I guess it's just the irony of the situation.”

“Irony?” A2 asked.

“It's something that's funny in a paradoxical way.”

“Paradoxical?”

4S shook his head. “It doesn't really matter.” His lips curled into a gentle smile, his eyes soft as he looked at her. It made her feel self conscious.

“Whatever,” A2 said, looking away.

“You know, I think I know an easier way to get a mackerel.”

“Hmm?”

“Yeah. But we'll have to make a trip to the desert outpost.”

A2 didn't object to this and the two of them headed back towards the city. Several hours later, they found themselves standing in front of a skeptical looking Jackass.

“What happened to you two?” she asked, raising her eyebrows in amusement.

A2 suddenly became aware of their appearance: 4S with the bruise on his face and his 2 bandaged thumbs and her with her bedraggled hair and tired eyes. She must have been even more of a mess then usual.

“Hey, Jackass. You know that mackerel you offered me before?”

“Oh, you want to try it?” Her eyes seemed to light up at the prospect.

“Uh...yeah. Could I have it?”

“Why not?” Jackass reached into her bag, taking out a delicately wrapped package. “Just don't blame me if something bad happens, okay?”

"I'll be careful.” 4S said and he saluted her. As soon as the two of them were out of earshot of Jackass, he turned to A2.

“Whatever you do, do not eat mackerel,” he murmured to her. “It will destroy your body.”

“I'll keep that in mind,” A2 said, though now she couldn't help but wonder why it was used in the refining process for android parts.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure who created the song Pascal is caught singing but it definitely wasn't me.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So i'm back with another chapter of this. I've got most of the story planned out at this point. I just have to actually write the darned thing. I have been messing around with the first chapters a little to try and fix them. But it's nothing signifigant enough that you need to go back and read them. I just figured I should let you all know that I do that.
> 
> By the way, there are slight spoilers for the original Nier in this chapter. It's nothing that would ruin the plot. But I figure I should put in a warning to be on the safe side.

“How does this look on me?” No, 4 said. She was wearing a white dress, frilled at the bottom and covered in lace. She smiled and A2 couldn't help but stare. Her eye-patch-like visor was gone and A2 could see the deep blues of her irises. She was definitely pretty. Beautiful even.

Then A2 realized something was terribly wrong about all this. “No...” A2 muttered, her heart dropping into her gut. “You....you can't be here with me. You're dead.”

No. 4 smiled but there was something sad about the smile. “I think it looks stylish on me,” she said. Suddenly, there was a flash of light and a deafening silence filled A2's ears. For a second, A2's vision went completely white. Then, just as abruptly, she found herself being slammed against a wall. The world swam around her and for a moment A2 couldn't get a bearing on her surroundings. Then her vision came into focus and she found herself surrounded by fire.

“No. 4?” called out, coughing. A thick smoke hung in the air, flames leaping out from every which direction. “No. 4!?!?” Pulling herself onto her knees, she began to crawl across the floor, looking for her comrade. “No. 4!” she called out. “No. 4! No-”

With an abrupt start, she jolted awake, he eyes going wide as she gazed at the ceiling. The room was in was unfamiliar and it took her a moment to recall how she'd gotten here.

“Shit,” she muttered, wiping the sweat off her forehead. She found herself laying on a cot, the covers wrapped hazardously around her. All around her were boxes and book shelves, some filled with books, others completely empty.

There was a knock on the door and a muffled voice called out to A2.“Hey, are you okay?” The door opened and Anemone took a step inside.

A2 sat up and rubbed her head. “Yeah, doing great,” she told Anemone, trying not to sound too sarcastic.

Anemone looked at her with a straight face. “I heard you yelling No. 4's name...”

A2 flushed and looked away.

“You don't have to talk about it. I just want to make sure you're okay.”

A2 sighed. “Thanks. I'm just stressed I guess.”

Anemone nodded in understanding. “By the way, repairs on 4S are complete.”

“What, really?” A2 said. She sat up. “Since when?”

“Since several hours ago.” Anemone said. “He's still here if that's what you're worried about.”

A2 groaned and got up. “Do you know where I can find him?”

“Last I saw him, he was by the Jukebox,” Anemone responded.

A2 pulled herself off the cot and went to go look for him. Like Anemone said, he was seated on a bench across from the Jukebox, chatting idly with an unfamiliar resistance member. As soon as he spotted A2, his lips curved into a smile. “Hey, you're awake.”

“Yeah.” A2 said.

“Ah, that must be your friend,” the resistance member said. “It was nice chatting with you.”

“Yeah, you too,” 4S said and he waved to the woman as she left.

“Why didn't you wake me?” A2 asked, walking up to the Jukebox and leaning against it.

“You looked so exhausted.” 4S shrugged. “I didn't want to disturb your sleep.”

A2 rubbed her head and sighed. “How are your fingers?”

“Good as new,” he said, flexing his hand. “Apparently there was some real damage. Those fishhooks are not meant to be taken out easily.”

“I'm glad they're fixed,” A2 said.

“Yeah...thank you A2. I could have done the maintenance on my own, you know. Well...I could have if I'd had a working thumb.”

“If you'd had a working thumb,” A2 repeated.

“It wasn't that bad. It just involved precision work that I couldn't quite do.” He looked down at his hand. “Yorha units are more complicated then the average android.”

“I see.”

“So...uh...what are you going to do now?” 4S asked, rubbing the back of his head.

A2 shrugged.

“Would you like to drop by my place later. I have...well...I have something I'd like to give you as thanks for helping me out.”

“There's no need,” A2 said.

“But I want to.”

A2 studied him. His lips were set in a thin line, making him look serious yet earnest about what he was saying.

“Please...” he added softly.

A2 looked away, feeling oddly self conscious. “Fine.”

 

* * *

 

When A2 came to visit, it quickly became clear that nobody was home. She knocked on the walls of his house and peeked in through the window. The lights were off inside. When she ventured around to the back and looked over the fence, she found he wasn't in the back yard either.

A2 crossed her arms and leaned up against the fence. He was probably out doing something. For a moment, she wondered if she should leave a note. But she quickly realized she had nothing to leave a note with. With a sigh, she pulled herself off the fence and began her trek back towards the castle. But about halfway back through the yard, she heard her name.

“Psst! A2!”

A2 looked around and it took her a moment to see who was talking. It was 4S, his head poking out from a spot in the tall grass. He gestured wildly for her to come to him so she did. He was laying belly first on the ground, a pair of binoculars in hand.

“What are you doing down there?” A2 asked, putting her hands on her hips.

“Shhhh. Get down,” 4S said. He patted the spot next to him so A2 sat down.

“What?” A2 said when 4S continued to stare at her.

“All the way down,” 4S whispered.

A2 sighed but dropped onto her stomach. “Will you tell me what you're doing already?”

“Look over there,” 4S said, handing her the binoculars and pointing to a far corner of the yard. Taking the optical instrument from him, she lifted it to her eyes and looked through the lenses.

“All I see is a close up of the wall,” she said, squinting.

“Move the binoculars down a little,” 4S whispered.

She lowered the binoculars and a boar appeared in the lens, standing on the concrete and munching on a small patch of grass that sprouted in a thick bundle from between the tiles.

“Now I see a boar,” she said.

“There's more,” 4S said.

A2 swept the ground with her binoculars and saw that there was, indeed, more boar.

“I don't understand,” A2 said, handing the binoculars back to him. “What's so interesting?”

“Well you see...I was thinking it might be useful to have a few boar,” 4S said, taking the binoculars back from her. “I'm a Scanner and...well...there's only so much I can carry at once. I'm not exactly a strong type.”

“No, you're not.”

“Hey, no need to rub it in,” 4S said, nervously scratching at his arm. As he lifted the binoculars to his eyes, she couldn't help but note how silly he looked using binoculars with his visor on. She snorted.

“What? Is something funny?” 4S asked, bristling a little.

“Nothing really.” She glanced between him and the boar at the far end of the yard. “If you want to catch some boar, I'm in.”

“Really?”

“That's what I said.” A2 glanced to the animals at the far end of the yard. The idea of catching boar excited her. It was something she knew she could do, something she was good at for once. She started to rise from the grass but 4S quickly grabbed her hand.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“What do you think?”

“No I mean...” he sighed and shook his head. “We can't just charge in. We need bait and a strategy.”

Looking down at 4S, she realized he was right. Maybe she could survive getting thrashed about by a boar. But for 4S and his small body that wasn't an option.

“Alright...” she murmured, begrudgingly sitting back down. “But come up with something quick.”

 

* * *

 

A2 crept slowly towards the boar, her footsteps clacking against the stone tiles as she moved. About 10 feet away from them, they all seemed to notice her, looking up from what they were doing to stare. Watching the creatures, she edged towards the side of the castle. They continued to stare, some of them shifting uncomfortably as she crept closer.

A2 took a deep breath as she finally reached the wall of the castle. Digging her hands into a pouch at her hip, she took out a bit of bait and placed it down on the stone, keeping her eyes on the boar the entire time.

One of the larger ones sniffed, it's nose wiggling as it looked at her.

“Stupid fucking pig,” she muttered under her breath, glad that they couldn't understand her. Then in a slightly more soothing voice, she murmured, “Hey there.” She hated the sickly sweet tone of her voice but it was the voice 4S had suggested she use. “I got food for you.” She stepped away and watched them closely, ready to run at the drop of a dime. She didn't trust them not to charge her.

Slowly, the large one approached the cube of food. She waited. It put its snout directly over the cubes and snuffled, spreading them over the ground with its nose as it investigated. A second boar approached, coming to a stop a few feet away from the cubes.

For a moment, A2 held her breath. _'Where is he?'_ she wondered. He was supposed to be here. Yet she didn't dare take her eyes off the boar to look for him.

The first one snorted and pawed at the ground, studying the second boar for a moment. Then it leaned over and began to eat the food on the ground.

That was when 4S made his entrance. With a battle cry, he flung himself down out of a second floor of the castle window and landed directly on the back of the smaller pig.

A2 seized her chance and rushed in. The boar reared and squealed and all the other ones scattered. They were quick but not quick enough. A2 launched herself directly onto the back of the larger boar and held on.

The beast began to buck under her, trying its hardest to throw her off its back. She was able to catch a glimpse of 4S's boar bolting off. Then the boar she was on slammed its front feet down onto the pavement and A2's face smashed directly into its back.

“Stinking fuck,” A2 cursed, getting a face full of bristly hair. She held on tight, not daring to let go. She didn't want to risk lifting her head to see if 4S was okay. All she could do was hope that he hadn't fallen off his animal. The image of the small unit being trampled by boar briefly entered her head but she pushed it away.

Her fingers dug tight into the animals hair and she suddenly found herself grinning. She wasn't going to let this pig throw her off. She leaned against each twist and buck., her body rising and falling with the movements of the animal. Several times her body nearly flew right off the animal only to slam right back into it as she desperately held on. The boar stampeded throughout the yard in a blind panic. A couple of times it ran directly at the wall, aiming the side of its body at the surface in an attempt to crush her. The first time, A2 managed to shift to the other side of the animal. The second time, however, her foot got caught right between the wall and the boar.

There was a cracking noise and a pain shot up A2's leg. “Motherfucker,” she cursed. That was definitely not good. But the pain quickly subsided. A2 ducked down against the creature, determined not to let the fucker throw her off. Finally, the boar slowed down, eventually coming to a stop in the middle of the courtyard.

Panting and keeping a tight hold on the pig, A2 lifted her head. She quickly spotted 4S on the other side of the yard. He was laying atop his boar, his face buries in the animals fur.

A2 directed her animal over to 4S. “Hey! Are you okay?” she called out.

“Yeah, I'm fine,” 4S said, lifting his head to look at her. “What about you?”

“Same,” she said. She stopped the boar next to 4S and moved to get off. But as soon as her foot hit the ground, pain shot up the limb like a bolt of electricity. “Motherfucker!” A2 cried out as her foot gave out from under her and she collapsed to the ground.

“A2!” 4S called out and he was instantly by her side, a look of panic on his face. “What's wrong?”

“I forgot about my leg,” she grunted, pulling herself into a sitting position. Looking down at it, she saw that it had been crushed, wire and broken parts sticking out at various angles and synthetic blood soaking everything around it.

4S gritted his teeth, letting out a soft hiss as he saw the mess. “Here, lean on my shoulder,” he said, offering his arm out to her. A2 accepted his help and it wasn't long before the two of them were limping into his house.

4S brought her over to the bed and she sat down, unable to look at her own leg.

“It doesn't look good.” 4S said. He leaned down and examined her leg. “I don't know if I can fix this. We might need to replace the leg entirely.

A2 groaned, realizing that she would be bed bound until the leg was repaired. “How long is that going to take?”

“Well...anywhere from a few hours to a few days,” 4S said. “It really depends on how quickly I can find a replacement part.”

“God, just kill me,” A2 muttered, bringing her hands up to her face.

“What? No! What are you talking about?” 4S said, looking alarmed.

“Shit. I didn't mean you should actually kill me,” A2 said, realizing that she had distressed 4S with her words.

“No...it's okay. I just want you to be okay,” He sighed. “Let me get some staunching gel and bandage it up for the time being

“Thank you,” A2 said, watching as he set to work on gathering supplies. She reclined against the bed and tried to relax. It wasn't like she hadn't seen her body broken like this before. She had repaired herself many times over in the years she'd been in this world alone. But that still didn't make this any less shitty.

4S came back several minutes later with some basic medical supplies and began to attend to her wound/ A2 begrudgingly held her leg still as best as she could. 4S was as gentle as he could be but it wasn't long before she was biting down on her lip to keep herself from crying out in pain.

“Just cut the fucking thing off,” she said after a few minutes of this. “It's useless now. I'll be better off with a fucking stub until you find the right replacement parts.”

“I don't mean to cause you pain,” 4S said. “Maybe I can find something that will help with it.” 4S left to rummage through his supplies and soon came back with a bottle. It was filled about a third of the way with a brownish liquid

“What's that?” she asked, squinting at it.

“It's a drink that dulls your senses. Humans used to call it alcohol.”

“Will it work?” A2 asked, staring at it.

“It will help at least. I could run to the resistance camp and get you something stronger. But this is all I have at the moment.”

“It's okay. This will do,” A2 said. She didn't want this to take any longer then necessary. 4S handed her the bottle and A2 took off the cork with ease. Putting the rim of the bottle to her lips, she tilted it back. A strange, burning liquid filled her mouth. She drank about half a liter before putting it down, wiping her mouth with her free hand. Almost instantly, she felt relaxed. With a sigh, she closed her eyes. “Let's just get this over with.”

 

* * *

 

When A2 next awoke, she found herself in the house alone. She tried to move but a pain instantly shot through her leg. Looking down, she saw that 4S had removed the broken part completely. A blood soaked bandage covered the stump. A2 couldn't help but groan. Luckily, it didn't take long for 4S to return.

“Oh, you're awake!” He came up and sat down on the end of the bed. “How are you feeling.”

“Like shit,” A2 admitted. She pulled herself into a sitting position and examined the stub.

“So...um...I got some good news and some bad news,” 4S said.

“What is it?” A2 asked, tilting her head at him.

“So the good news is, I found a replacement part,” he said.

“Alright. So what's the bad news?”

“Jackass has it,” 4S said. “And she wants me to test a new e-drug of hers in exchange for it.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah,” 4S said. He sighed. “She's been trying to rope me into being her guinea pig for a while.”

“Her...guinea pig?”

“Test subject,” 4S clarified.

“Why you?” A2 asked.

“I guess Yorha units are of special interest to her.” He rubbed the back of his head. “In any case, I don't want you to worry about it now, okay? I asked you to come over because I wanted to give you something and I'm going to do that.” He closed his eyes. “I don't have much but 2000 G's feels like an appropriate sum of-”

“No,” A2 said instantly, shaking her head. “You're helping me. I think that's payment enough.”

“Really?” 4S said, opening his eyes. “Are you sure you don't want it?”

“What the fuck would I even do with 2000 G?”

“Alright.” 4S said. “Well...in that case, I'll keep it. But I have something else for you,” He smiled. “Even if you won't take the G...I want you to take this.”

He ran outside and came back in carrying a crown of flowers. Smiling brightly, he placed the wreath upon the top of her head. “I..I hope you like it,” he said, looking mildly nervous.

“What is this?” A2 said. She took the crown off her head and studied it. The entire thing was delicately crafted of snow white flowers, the stems wrapped around each other and knotted together.

“They're called lunar tears,” 4S said. “I heard a legend once that wishing on a lunar tear can make anything come true. That's just a legend of course. But they are still pretty.”

For some reason, looking at the flowers brought a strange feeling of nostalgia to her. She studied them, wondering where she had heard the name before. Then she remembered.

Her memory wandered back to the false childhood that had been embedded in her mind. It wasn't something she thought about often. She had been a lonely child, shunned and picked on by the villagers and their children. Her grandmother was the only person she'd had and her grandmother in those memories had made her a crown of flowers just like this one. Whoever the memories had belonged to, the crown and the person they represented meant the world to them.

Though those memories were memories that didn't belong to her, a feeling of warmth filled her chest.

“Thank you,” A2 said after a moment, placing the crown back on her head. “I like them.” She genuinely meant it. She reached forward to give him a pat on the head and as the palm of her hand came to rest in his hair, she was surprised by just how soft it felt.

“M-miss A2?” 4S said, looking flushed under the sudden contact.

“Hmm?” A2 said. Then she realized her hand was still in his hair. Abruptly, she pulled away.

“Thank you,” 4S said softly.

“For what?”

“For...n-nevermind.” He looked strangely flustered, his hands pressed together and his thumbs rubbing against one another as he gazed at the floor.

A2 sighed and laid back, careful not to crumple the flower crown on her head. “So how long before I can get that replacement leg?” she asked.

Jackass is coming over in a few hours. Until then, I suggest you get some sleep. You look like you could really use it.

A2 wasn't really feeling sleepy. But she didn't have much else to do either.

“She better not be late,” A2 muttered and closed her eyes, letting her body slip into sleep mode.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, all feedback is appriciated. I never really know what I am doing right or wrong unless people tell me. Expect another update next Sunday.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is late. It's supposed to be a fun and humorous but I haven't been feeling great so it was a bit of a struggle to write.

A strange tension hung in the air as the three androids sat in 4S's single room home. A2 sat on the bed, clutching a pair of crutches she glared at Jackass. Jackass was pointedly ignoring her glare, her eyes on 4S as she sat at the table. And 4S was pouring each of them a cup of tea.

“I want to see the leg,” A2 demanded.

Jackass turned her attention to A2. “I already showed it to you.”

“Yeah, and I want to see it again” A2 said, not entirely trusting the android.

“Relax, A2. It's right here.” 4S uncovered a cloth on the table and in it was the lower half of a standard B unit leg. He must have noticed how A2 was looking at Jackass. He tried to give her a reassuring smile. But it ended up looking nervous.

“Fine,” A2 said, letting go of the crutches and crossing her arms over her chest. She looked to Jackass. “If your stupid drug kills him, I'll kill you.”

Jackass laughed at that. “Just relax. He's not the first subject I've tested it on.”

“A2...I didn't realize you cared for me that much.” 4S said.

“If you die, who else is gonna fix my leg?” A2 muttered.

“Oh...that's a good point...I guess.”

“Alright, enough with the chitchat.” Jackass said. “Let's start the experiment.” Jackass produced a patch from her pocket and went over to 4S. “Roll up your sleeve a little and show me your wrist.”

4S did as she asked, holding his wrist out to her. “Uh, so, what does this do again?”

“It's a drug I'm developing that helps androids relax. It's supposed to have a soothing effect. But it's still in the testing phase so...there might be some side effects. Nothing serious, of course.”

A2 glared at Jackass.

“Uh...right. Okay,” 4S said and he closed his eyes and waited. Jackass took his wrist in her hand and pressed the patch to his skin. “Ack!” 4S cried out after a moment. “That hurt!”

“Yeah, it's gonna hurt. That's how you get it into your system,” Jackass said. “It's very fast acting.”

4S pulled his wrist away. There was a little line of dashes in the shape of a square on where the skin was red. “It kind of itches,” 4S said, frowning at the wound.

“You'll be okay,” Jackass said and she grinned and gave him a slap on the back. “Now it's time for the fun part.”

“I...I don't feel anything,” 4S said, throwing a glance at A2.

“It will take a bit for anything to happen,” Jackass said, studying 4S as she took a seat on the cushion.

A2 huffed, still feeling distrustful of Jackass.

“So this is normal?” 4S asked.

“It is,” Jackass said. “Why don't you stop worrying and finish pouring that tea?”

“Oh, I forgot about the tea!” 4S grabbed the cup and filled the rest of it before placing it in front of Jackass. She accepted the tea from him and took a small sip.“Would you like some tea too, A2?” 4S asked, turning to look at her.

“No...I'm fine.” A2 said.

“You look mad,” 4S commented.

“I think she's mad at me for trying to steal you away,” Jackass said, chuckling softly.

“I don't trust you,” A2 said, visibly scowling at the woman.

“Oh, if only 4S would do more experiments with me! All the fun we would have!” Jackass said in a sarcastic voice, swooning over 4S in an incredibly exaggerated manner.

“Okay, Jackass, you're kind of scaring me...” 4S said, scooting away from her.

“Asshole,” A2 spat, silently fuming at the woman.

Jackass cackled. “Don't forget who found you the spare leg!”

“Okay, that's enough you two,” 4S said. With a sudden groan, he leaned over, resting his forehead against the palm of his hand. “Ugh, I feel kind of weird.”

“Oh, interesting,” Jackass said. “That's different.”

“You mother fucking piece of-” A2 started, attempting to pull herself off the bed with her crutches. But before she could get anywhere, 4S stood up.

“A2, stop. Please just stay there. I promise you, I'm fine.” Beads of sweat were starting to form on his face. He walked over to the bed and stood in front of her. “Don't push yourself for my sake.”

A2 huffed but let herself fall back down to the bed. Wiping some of the sweat from his brow, 4S went back to the table and sat down. He tried taking a sip of tea but his face immediately scrunched up in discomfort. Puffing up his cheeks, he ran to the sink and spat the tea out, dumping the contents of the cup and filling it with water.

“How are you feeling?” Jackass asked, raising her eyebrows at him.

4S drained the cup of water before he spoke. “Hot. Way too hot.” He filled the cup and drank it again, water spilling onto the front of his jacket. By the time he was done, his hands were shaking. “Way too hot. I gotta get this jacket off.” Paying no mind to the two women in the room with him, he stripped off his Yorha issue coat and threw it to the floor.

“He's overheating, you dumb ass!” A2 said, practically shouted at Jackass. Her arms were shaking as she stared at the woman. It took all the effort she had not to pull herself off the bed and clobber Jackass with her crutches.

“That's definitely not usual,” Jackass admitted. “I supposed that black box you Yorha androids have could be overheating.”

“Do something!” A2 said. She looked over to 4S and saw that he was shrugging off his pants. “Do something quick!”

“I'm sorry,” 4S said, panting and flushed completely red. “I'm just so hot...”

“Alright, alright, I'll do something,” Jackass grumble. She went over to 4S and picked him.

“Jackass, what are you...?” 4S said, his mouth hanging open as she swept him up in her arms.

“Relax. I'm going to fix this,” Jackass said. With that, she carried him through the back door.

“Where are you going?! Come back here!” A2 shouted. The sound of something crashing into the water came from the backyard. Cursing under her breath, A2 lifted herself off the bed and hobbled to the door with her crutches. As she pulled away the blanket, her temper practically exploded.

“Agh! Help!” 4S called out, thrashing about in the middle of his fish pond.

“You idiot woman!” A2 shouted. She chucked one of her crutches at Jackass but ended up losing her balance and crashing to the ground. “You get him out of there or I swear I'll shove that god damn leg up your ass!”

Jackass rolled her eyes and put out her hand to 4S. He grabbed hold of it and hauled him out of the water. He spat up a good half gallon of water before falling flat on his face, panting as he reclined against the stone tiles.”

Jackass rubbed the back of her head. “Uh...I know how this looks. But don't worry. It's just a minor setback.” She gave 4S a pat on the back and he spat up a little more water.

“A minor setback?!”

Jackass smiled and went over to A2, offering a hand to her. A2 grabbed the hand and pulled Jackass down, punching her directly in the face.

“Holy shit,” Jackass said. She held her cheek and laughed. “You have a strong punch. Now are you going to let me help you up?”

A2 was absolutely furious but she realized that she would need her help if she wanted to get off the ground. She scowled but held out her hand to Jackass. The woman helped her up and sat her down on the bench in the yard.

“I...I feel better,” 4S admitted. “But I don't like being wet.” He sat up and pulled off the rest of his clothes, leaving him in nothing but boxer shorts. “Ah...better” He flopped belly first onto the grass and laughed. “It feels good.”

“What's he doing now?” A2 said, cringing at the sight of the half-naked android.

“Ah...this behavior is more typical,” Jackass said.

“The grass...it's so soft...” 4S whispered, carefully stroking a blade of the aforementioned grass.

“Holy shit, Jackass. This is not typical.” She glared at the woman. “He's acting like a complete fool.”

“B-but, A2~” He plucked a blade of grass and walked over to her. “You should feel it,” he said, holding it out to her. “You should feel it on your wrist.”

“Stop that,” A2 said, scooting all the way to the other side of the bench.

“Aw, A2. Please?” He sat down on the bench and scooted closer to her and A2 leaned away.

“Okay, that's enough. It's time for you to put some clothes on,” said Jackass. She grabbed 4S under the arms and hauled him through the front door. “Put on something dry, okay?” came her voice from inside the house. “You're making princess over her uncomfortable.”

“I don't know what that means...” A2 said, but she had a feeling it was an insult.

“Do you know where he keeps spare clothes?” Jackass shouted, her voice muffled by the walls.

“Why would I know that?!” A2 asked.

“Eh...I guess I'll just have to go through his things.”

There was the sound of objects being thrown around inside the house.

A2 grabbed her crutches and pulled herself off the bench. “What are you doing?!”

“Don't worry. Everything is fine,” Jackass called out to her and soon appeared in the back door, carrying the bottle of liquor 4S had given A2 last night. “He'll be out shortly.” She took a seat by the pond and uncapped the bottle, helping herself to the contents.

Sure enough, several minutes later, the flap swung open and 4S was standing there in new clothes. A2 had never seen him in anything but his uniform so she couldn't help but stare at what he was wearing now.

A black apron like garment hung over his chest. It had a collar with a v neck dip in the front and intricate embroidery at the bottom right corner. Under this he wore a white shirt with laces lining the top sleeve. A matching pair of shorts sat snugly on his hips, the black vest hanging nearly to the bottom of these shorts. A pair of knee length lace up boots and matching elbow length up gloves completed the look.

“This...this is so soft...” he said, gripping the fabric of this shirt between his thumb and forefinger and rubbing it. “It feels nice against my skin.”

“And this is good booze,” Jackass commented with a chuckle. “Where did you get this?”

“Um...it was a housewarming gift. But I don't drink very much,” 4S said. “I don't mind if you have it.” He walked over to A2 and sat down next to her. “My head feels kind of fuzzy,” he said, reaching up to rub it as he looked at her.

“That's definitely the drug working as intended,” Jackass said. Putting down the bottle, she turned her attention to 4S. “Why don't we do some tests?”

“Some tests?” 4S said, looking uncertain as he stared at her.

“Yes. I'd like to do some tests that will help determine how well the drug is working.”

“Alright,” 4S said, bringing a hand to his chest. “If it will help, then I'll do it.

“Good,” Jackass said. She stood up and walked to the other side of the yard. “I want you to walk to me in as straight a line as you can.”

4S got to his feet and attempted to walk over to Jackass. Even though his movements wre slow, he seemed to be concentrating and when he reached Jackass, the line he'd walked in was more or less straight.”

“Wow...impressive,” Jackass said. “Now go ahead and walk in a circle.”

“Hey, he's not some mutt you can just order around,” A2 said, tapping her good foot against the ground.

“I'll be fine, A2.” 4S said. He followed her instructions, attempting to walk a circle around the yard. This time he was a bit more clumsy, but he managed to do it all the same.

“Wow. You Yorha androids are really made of tough stuff,” Jackass said. “Most androids would have fallen at least once by now.” She slapped 4S on the back and he smiled.

“Well...I guess us scanners have good coordination, though were not nearly as well coordinated at combat units. I couldn't even imagine walking around in high heels.”

“Funny that you would mention that,” Jackass said. Grinning, she reached into her coat and pulled out a pair of high heel boots. “That's exactly what I was hoping to try next.

“Okay, now you're just doing this to fuck with him,” A2 said.

“No...i'll do it,” 4S said. “It's part of the experiment, right?”

Jackass nodded and tossed him the boots. “Let's see how well you can walk around in these.”

4S slid off his own boots and put on the high heels. They were a little big but that was quickly remedied as he laced them up.

“They look kind of nice on me,” 4S said, chuckling as he stared down at his feet.

“Good. Now try walking towards me,” Jackass said, taking another sip from her bottle.

4S rose to his feet and immediately stumbled. “Ugh...I feel dizzy,” he said, staring down at his feet. He carefully took one step, then another, his legs shaking. On his third step, he stumbled and pitched forward, hitting the ground with a thud.

“Not bad,” Jackass said, walking over and kneeling down next to him.

“I don't want to wear these anymore,” 4S mumbled.

“In that case, it's time for the next test.” She threw an arm around 4S and pointed to the door. “For this one, we'll need to go into the forest.”

A2 practically crushed the crutches in her grasp as she moved to stand up. “No. You're not going into the woods when he's like that,” she said, using one of her crutches to point as 4S.

Jackass grinned. “Aw, you really do care about him, don't you?”

“Jackass...” 4S said, wincing under her grip.

A2 gritted her teeth and limped over to Jackass. “I don't like this,” she hissed, poking her in the chest with one of the crutches.

“You don't need to worry.” Jackass said and she ruffled 4S's hair. “I'll bring him back in one piece, more or less.”

4S glanced between Jackass and A2, his lips drawn into a thin line. “I'll be okay,” he finally said, looking to A2.

A2 inhaled sharply. She didn't like this. But if 4S thought it was okay, what choice did she have?

“Bring him back alive and in one piece,” A2 said, scowling openly at Jackass.

 

* * *

 

When A2 came too, it was because of a loud crashing noise.

Sitting up in the bed, she rubbed her head, her gaze falling on 4S. He was laying face down on the floor.

“Woah...careful there,” Jackass said. Chuckling to herself, she leaned down and tried to pick him up. But this just ended in her tumbling over on top of him. “Crap.”

“Jackass...you're heavy...” 4S whined softly.

Jackass giggled. “It's not my fault you're so damned small,” she rolled off him and slumped onto the floor, a shit eating grin on her face.

“Holy fuck,” A2 said, bringing her palm to her face. “Did...did you both take the damn drug?”

“No,” 4S said, pulling himself into a sitting position. “But...she did drink a lot...” As he came to face A2, she couldn't help but notice the bruises on his skin and tears in his clothing.

“What the hell happened?” A2 asked, her gaze turning to Jackass.

“I got into a fight with a moose,” 4S said. “That's what happened.” He rubbed his head. “I didn't really want to fight a moose...”

A2 groaned. “Did...did one of your tests involve him fighting a moose?” She said, whipping her attention to Jackass.

“Uh...maybe.”

A2 grabbed the nearest crutch and threw it at the woman.

“Ow!” Jackass said, covering her head as the crutch hit her.

“You made him fight a moose?!”

“Yes. I did. But you know what? I stand fully behind that decision.”

A2 threw the other crutch at her.

“Damnit,” Jackass said, scowling. “You know what? If you value his life so much, then why don't you marry him!

“W-what?!” 4S said, his face going bright red.

“I have no idea what that means,” A2 said, scowling at Jackass.

Jackass burst into another fit of laughter and 4S covered his face.

“Damnit, you two...” A2 said. Feeling like she wasn't going to get any straight answers from either of them, she rolled onto her side, facing away from them. “If you two are going to act like idiots, then go do it somewhere else.”

“Ah...sorry,” 4S said.

“Whatever,” A2 said.

“A2...” 4S said and suddenly she felt the weight of something falling onto the bed next to her.

“What are you...” A2 said, then stopped as she turned and came face to face with 4S.

“Hey...A2...don't be mad...” he said, his lips in a pout as he reclined on his side next to her.

A2 was definitely not expecting him to be that close to her. She tried to scoot away from him and ended up bumping her head back into the wall. “Ack!”

Jackass burst into another fit of giggles. “Hey, 4S. You know what I think would cheer her up? Why don't you give her a hug. You know! For science.”

4S's seemed to light up at the prospect.

“Wait! No! I-” A2 started but it was too late. 4S closed the distance between A2 and himself and wrapped his arms around her midriff, resting his head in the crook of her neck.

“Don't worry, A2. Everything is going to be fine.”

A2's eyes practically bulged out of their sockets as she stared down at him. Her first urge was to push his drugged body off hers. But for some reason, she found herself unable to move. Nobody had ever made contact with her like this before and there was something about it that was strangely...pleasant.

She desperately looked to Jackass for help but the woman only returned her desperate stare with more laughter.

“Mnng...you're so warm...” 4S said.

“Okay, that's enough,” A2 said, finally bringing her arms up to push him off gently.

4S looked taken aback. “Ah...sorry...I...” he began to mumble as an apology.

“Don't apologize,” A2 said.

4S sat there for a moment, staring down at the bed. Then the sound of Jackass rummaging through the things on the floor brought A2's attention away from him.

“Hey, what's this?” Jackass said. She was holding a small leather box

“Oh that?” It was 4S's voice. “That's...uh...”

“It's like a case of some sort,” Jackass said. She opened the top and inside was a disk.

“Oh! That's my...uh...record player,” 4S said, talking as if he was struggling to find the words.

“Record player?” Jackass said, lifting it up into the air. “So it keeps records?” She seemed delighted by the object in her hands. “Can it keep scientific records?”

“Well actually, it...uh...put it down.”

Jackass did so and 4S came over to her and knelt by the object. Though his hands worked clumsily, he flipped a switch and moved something that resembled an arm onto the disk. He pressed a button and music began to play from the thing.

“Oh, music,” Jackass said. She reclined down next to the thing and watched the record spin. Percussion instruments came from the speakers along with the deep gruff voice of a man. “What kind of music is this?” Jackass said, hovering a hand over the spinning record.

“I don't know...it came from a long time ago.” 4S said. He saw where Jackasses hand was and grimaced. “Don't touch it...”

Jackass immediately put her finger down and touched it. There was a soft screeching noise and 4S reached forward, grabbing the player and closing it as he held it protectively against his chest. “Jackass, why?” The look of betrayal on his face was almost comical.

“I dunno,” Jackass said.

“No more records for you,” 4S said, cradling the box against his chest.

Jackass laughed and sat up. Reaching for one of the crutches A2 threw at her, she grabbed it and rose to her feet, her body wobbling. “I challenge you to a duel!” she announced, pointing the crutch at 4S.

“What? No! Put down my crutch!” A2 said.

4S laughed and grabbed the other crutch. “I accept!” he said, pointing it at Jackass.

A2 groaned and fell back against the bed.

Jackass grinned and lunged at 4S with the leg of the crutch. 4S brought his crutch up to block it, though the force of the blow sent him stumbling back.

“Come on, Jackass. That's not fair! I'm a support unit.”

“Life isn't fair,” Jackass said and she jabbed his stomach with the end of her crutch.

The two of them moved around the small space, each looking silly as they met and parried each others blows. Neither of them knew how to fight and it showed. Their moves were stupid and over the top and they frequently hit each other. By the end of it, there were new bruises forming all over their exposed skin and the two of them were laughing like mad. 4S finally jumped at Jackass with the intention of knocking her over the the two of them tumbled to the floor.

“I win!” 4S said, dramatically bringing up his crutch and jabbing it down into her stomach like a swordsman making a final killing blow.

“Yeah, well I hit you first so that makes me the winner,” Jackass said, sitting up and pushing 4S off her.

“Fine, whatever,” 4S said. He yawned and rolled onto his back. “Hey Jackass...does this mean we're done with the tests?”

“Huh...I guess we are,” Jackass said. She pulled herself to her feet. “I didn't even notice.”

“Idiot...” A2 muttered under her breath.

Jackass rubbed her head. “I guess that means I should probably leave before princess over here murders me.” She pointed a thumb in A2's general direction.

“Bite me.” A2 said, openly scowling at Jackass.

“Yeah. That...uh...might be best,” 4S said, glancing at A2.

“It's okay. I got some good data,” Jackass said. She slapped 4S on the back again. “You should come find me when the drug is done. First sample is on me.”

“Uh...okay,” 4S said, though he didn't seem particularly excited about this.

She stuck a tongue out at A2 and moved towards the door. “I'll see you around?”

“Yeah, I'll see you,” 4S said, waving to her.

When Jackass was gone, 4S crawled over to the bed and sat down next to it, laying his head on the mattress. “Hey...A2?”

“What?” A2 said, looking down at him.

“Please remind me to never, ever let Jackass drag me into one of her experiments again.”

A2 felt some of her anger dissipating as she looked at the clearly exhausted scanner. “Remind you when?”

“Maybe every day,” 4S said, closing his eyes.

“That sounds good.” A2 said. For a moment she simply gazed at him. Then she pulled herself to the edge of the bed, grabbing the nearest crutch and using it to lift herself off the mattress. “Why don't you take the bed for a bit? You look like you could use the rest.”

4S didn't answer and it took her a moment to realize that he'd already fallen asleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, reviews are appreciated. I am also still interested in finding a beta for this story. I'm going on vacation starting tomorrow so there probably won't be a next chapter until after I get back in a week.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter is a little shorter then usual but I hope ya'll enjoy.

“Just lay back and relax.”

A2 did as 4S asked, watching his face as she reclined back on his bed. Something about it felt strange. She was the only android that had ever done maintenance or repairs on herself and she felt oddly vulnerable in this position. “How long is this going to take?” she asked.

“I'm not entirely sure,” 4S said, standing by her side. “I've never attached a a limb like this.”

“You mean this is your first time doing this?” A2 looked at him in disbelief.

“Yes. I mean, I theoretically know how to do it. But when a Yorha unit loses a limb in the field, it's rare for them to survive long enough to get a new one.”

“I see,” A2 said. She watched as he set up a makeshift table next to the bed. He was wearing a T-shirt and she could still see the bruising all up and down his arms from his duel with Jackass. “How are you feeling after last night?” she asked.

“Sore,” 4S admitted, rubbing his arms. “I still can't believe I let Jackass talk me into doing that.”

“It was dumb,” A2 said, rolling her eyes.

4S laughed. “Maybe it was dumb. But it was worth it to help you.”

A2 snorted. “Yeah, whatever...”

4S finished setting his tools on the table and turned to A2. “Are you ready?” he asked, uncovering the leg to take a look at it.

“Let's just get it over with.”

 

* * *

 

To say that the reattachment procedure was painful would be an understatement. It was agonizing. A2 had spent half the time biting back her screams. All the same, when it was finally done, she'd had enough of laying in bed. She wanted to get up and move.

That was how she found herself standing in 4S's garden, holding beastlord as she prepared to strike an invisible target. Though training wasn't necessary for androids to stay in physical shape, she found that it helped her mentally. If she spent too much time sitting around, her thoughts began to wander to questions she wasn't prepared to dwell on.

One question that tended to bother her in particular was why the pods had given her second chance at life. She had been ready to join her comrades when that tower collapsed on her. But she was here. The last thing she wanted to focus on was the why. She'd been down that road before and it only lead to despair. Whatever the reason was, it didn't matter now. She had to keep moving forward.

Taking a step back, she focused on an invisible enemy before her and moved to slice through it with her blade. Once then twice she cut through the air, her movements smooth and precise. She stepped to the side as if she were dodging then brought her blade down in a smooth arc, crushing the enemy in her mind. Even when she heard the footsteps behind her, she didn't turn around until she heard a voice.

“Does it hurt?”

Giving her sword another swing, she turned to 4S. “My leg?”

“Yes, your leg. I can't believe you're out of bed already.” He crossed his arms over his chest, his lips curved into a frown.

“I hate being stuck in that thing,” A2 said, swinging her sword down as if she were splitting the bed in half.

“It hurts, doesn't it?” 4S asked again.

“Yeah. It hurts like a bitch,” A2 admitted.

“You really should take it easy...” 4S said. “I don't want you to hurt yourself more then necessary.”

“I can look after myself.” She buried her sword in another invisible foe.

4S sighed and rubbed his head. “I just don't want you to injure yourself again.”

A2 pressed the tip of her blade down into the dirt. 4S was looking at her from behind his visor, his fingers playing with the lowest button on his jacket. Though she couldn't see his eyes, she could tell that he was concerned. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “Okay. I'll try to take it easy.”

“What, really?” 4S said, looking taken aback.

“Yeah. But I'm not going back to that bed.”

“Well, I guess that's better then nothing.” He smiled, turning his gaze to beastlord. “You know, I've never used a weapon before. At least not in battle.”

“I'm surprised that they don't properly equip your type.” A2 said.

“You'd think they would. But few of us are ever alone in direct combat situations.” He paused. “Though now that I think about it, I did see 9S using a blade.”

For a moment, A2 was brought back to the moment she'd faced 9S. She quickly pushed the thought away. Now was not the time.

“A2, are you okay?” 4S asked.

“Yeah, I'm fine.” She sighed. “There's no need to worry about me. In fact, i'd be more worried about yourself.”

“Worried about myself?” 4S asked.

“Yeah. If I were you, I'd get a weapon and learn how to use it.”

“Well, I mean, I have had a few close encounters...” 4S admitted. “Especially after what happened to Yorha. When my own comrades turned on me, I...I thought I was going to die.”

A2 looked away. Her first impression of him had been that he was vulnerable. An unpleasant feeling twisted at her gut. She'd outright considered just how easy it would be to kill him. And from what he'd said about his escape the day Yorha had collapsed, he was lucky to be alive at all.

“Hey, maybe you could teach me how to fight,” 4S said.

A2 was taken aback by the request. “What? Me?”

“Yeah. Why not?”

A2 thought about it. There were plenty of reasons why not. Sure, she knew how to use a sword. But teaching someone to use it was a different matter entirely. She had been created to handle a sword. 4S had not.

“I don't know if I can...” A2 admitted.

“What's stopping you?”

“I've never taught anybody before.” She studied him. “Are you serious about this?”

“You said it yourself! I should get a blade and learn how to protect myself.”

“Yeah, but me?”

“I mean, I can't teach myself, can I?”

As A2 looked at him, she knew he was right. How was he supposed to protect himself without proper training?

“I don't know the first thing about training,” A2 said, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. “But I'll try.”

 

* * *

 

4S looked uncertain as he stood in front of A2, his feet spread apart as he held a Yorha-issue blade. “Are you sure we should be using actual swords for this?” 4S asked. “What if I cut you?”

“Do you have any training swords laying around?” A2 asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Well...no. I guess not,” 4S said.

A2 studied his stance for a moment. Not satisfied with what she was seeing, she put her hands on his shoulders. “Put your left foot behind your right foot.”

“Like this?” 4S said, moving so that he was standing more diagonal to her.

A2 nodded. “Yes, like that. And your sword...bring it up a little. You want to hold it like this.” She wrapped her hands around his and showed him the correct angle at which to keep the blade. “That way, any enemy that rushes you will end up on your blade.”4S huffed, his palms sweating as he focused on doing as she said.

Satisfied, A2 stepped back. “Now, come at me,” she said, licking her bottom lip. In all honesty, she was just as nervous as he looked. But she was definitely better as hiding it.

4S raised the blade above his head and rushed towards her. Easily side stepping him, she waited until he was stumbling past her before she turned to him, pressing her foot against his back. 4S fell straight to the ground, his blade clattering into the dirt.

“What was that?” A2 asked.

4S lifted his head from the ground. “I...I don't know. Was that wrong?”

“Yeah. You can't just raise your blade like that and charge in. You're gonna get yourself killed.”

4S took the sword and stood up, frowning as he gazed at her. “Then how would you charge an enemy?” he asked.

“First of all, don't lift your blade above your head. It leaves you completely vulnerable. Second of all...” A2 paused. She really had no idea how to explain it. “Just let me show you...”

A2 turned to the training dummy the two of them had made for the occasion. It was nothing more then a pillow filled with straw and put on a post. But it would suffice. She moved at the dummy with as much speed as she could muster and pressed her sword forward. It didn't cut the dummy, but it did knock it back a few inches.

“Okay, so maybe my sword isn't the best example of that move. But yours has a pointed end. So let's start with stabbing.” A2 turned to him and took a step back. “Now try that on me.”

“On you? Are you sure? What if I actually stab you?!?” 4S said, looking alarmed.

“Don't worry,” A2 said. “Just come at me.”

 

* * *

 

Their first training session was long and arduous and by the time A2 called for a break, 4S looked thoroughly exhausted.

“Is... everyday... going to be... this hard...?” he asked, panting out the words as he took a seat on the garden bench.

“It's not going to get any easier,” A2 said.

“You've barely even broken a sweat,” 4S commented.

A2 realized he was right. He was covered in sweat, his face red from physical exertion. And though she definitely had some sweat on her face, she wasn't feeling even close to as tired as he looked.

“Want something to drink?” she asked.

“Yeah. Thank you.”

A2 went into the house and soon came back with a glass of water. Though Yorha issue models didn't need to drink, cold water did help cool their internal temperature. A2 sat down next to him and handed him the glass and he tipped it back and took a long drink.

A2 studied him. For a scanner learning to fight, he hadn't done bad. He would still need a lot of training and he would never be close to as strong as her. But he had potential. Or so she hoped.

“You did good,” she said, shifting her gaze away from him. She was not used to complimenting others.

A2 heard a clink as 4S put his glass down. “Really? You think so?”

“I know so,” A2 said.

“Wow, thanks,” 4S said. “You're... uh... a good teacher. I mean... I wouldn't have been able to do anything without you.”

She felt an oddly pleasant sensation in her gut. “Yeah, well, everyone should know how to fight.”

“Definitely,” 4S said, giving her a wide, toothy smile. “Would you like some of my water?” He held the glass out to her.

A2 slowly reached out and took it. She wasn't particularly hot. But 4S had offered it to her. She took a small sip from the rim of the glass before handing it back to him. “Thank you.”

“No problem!” 4S said, taking back the glass and drinking some more himself. “You know, A2, when I first met you...” 4S started. “I...uh...” He suddenly looked nervous, his gaze falling to the glass of water in his hands.

“Hmm?” A2 said.

“Well...I...there's something I'd like to...um...tell you.” He seemed to fidget in place.

“What is it?” A2 asked, raising an eyebrow as he gazed at him.

“It's just...” he swallowed deeply, “When we first met...I was...well...” He stopped, his hand tightly gripping the glass.

“You were what?” 4S turned his gaze to her and in his eyes she saw genuine fear. “What is it?” 

“Well...uh...” There was a long pause before he suddenly blurted out his words. “You're a nicer person then I was expecting!” He shrank back in his seat a little as he looked at her.

“I'm nicer then you expected?” A2 said. “Is that supposed to be a compliment?”

“Yeah! Well, I mean...” He looked down at his hands. “You... you're tall and uh...I was kind of scared of you at first,” he admitted. “Carrying that big sword of yours around and all. But you're actually, like, this really cool, nice person.”

A2 couldn't help but snort.

“I mean it,” 4S said. “All you've ever done is help me and you've never asked for anything in return. I mean, okay, maybe you did get angry when Jackass was around. But you were doing it to protect me and, like, nobody has ever wanted to protect me like that before.” He looked to her. “I know you said it was because I was the only one who could fix your leg. But that's not true, is it?”

A2 was completely caught off guard by the question. She had definitely not been expecting him to bring up that again. She huffed, her own face feeling hot. “I was sticking up for you.”

4S laughed.

“W-what's so funny?” A2 asked.

“It's nothing. It's just...it's kind of cute when...” His face had turned absolutely crimson.

“Cute when what?” A2 asked, wrinkling her nose.

“Ah, never mind...” 4S said.

For a moment, the two of them sat in silence. A2 gazed at him. He was playing with the buttons on his jacket. He briefly looked up at her but quickly looked away when he realized she was staring. Finally, he spoke.

“So, uh...should we get back to training?” he asked softly.

“No,” A2 said. “You worked hard enough already. Let's just call it a day.”

“Really? I'm actually glad. I'm still rather exhausted,” 4S, finally turning to look at her. Though he was smiling, there was something about it that seemed off and A2 couldn't figure out why.

 

* * *

 

A2 spent the next several months training 4S. Though he struggled to keep up with her regiment, he was persistent. Every day he finish training looking battered and bruised. Yet every day he was ready to do it again. A2 had to give him some credit. His complaints were rare, even on the days she went tough on him.

In the moments where they weren't training, the two of them took to sitting in his garden and sipping tea. Though A2 still couldn't really smell or taste the stuff, she was starting to find the routine relaxing. They would chat idly about things, 4S doing most of the talking and A2 doing most of the listening. He'd go on and on about a book he read or a new fish in the pond. He seemed to know more things than A2 ever cared to learn.

The majority of the time A2 came over, 4S was alone. So she was surprised one day to arrive and find Pascal sitting on the floor.

“Hey, A2!” 4S said, raising his hand in greeting as she came through the front door.

“Oh, A2! It's nice to see you again,” the machine said as soon as he spotted her.

“Pascal, what are you doing here?” A2 asked, looking between Pascal and 4S.

“Oh, that?” 4S said. “Well...it's kind of a long story.”

“Come sit down, miss A2,” Pascal added, “I'll tell you everything.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, feedback is deeply appriciated.


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